-
October 2023 by Stephanie T.
I highly recommend checking out Mystic Aquarium. Prices are lower if you purchase tickets in advance than on the day of visit. The online system is easy to use, but there are also kiosks at Mystic Aquarium to purchase your tickets. Mystic Aquarium has plenty of parking and it is free. It is right next to Olde Mistick Village.They have a huge variety of animals and exhibits, but beluga whales caught my attention. They are interesting animals and I could watch them all day. We spent a few hours exploring the whole aquarium and saw a sea lion show.
-
October 2023 by Andrea K.
My husband and I have been members for more than three years now. Always wonderful to visit! The staff is super nice and knowledgeable. The animals are rescues. Amazing work they do!
-
September 2023 by Stan H.
You can touch some of the animals here which is cool. I didn't want to touch the animals personally. With this place as small as it is, this hands-on part with staff to tell you how to touch this and that properly is what makes this place cost a pretty penny. I saved $10 by purchasing about one month ahead of time online and still felt like it is a lot.Seems like they maintain a lot to keep up the beautiful array of appearances that this aquarium is.There is a dinosaur exhibit, 78 mph wind simulator, and science exhibition center w events for more. They also have an animal refuge center which is cool. I understand them charging more but this wasn't for me personally.Someone mentioned lavender lemonade. That must have been unpopular or seasonal.The food here seems reasonably priced and I almost got some but I am in a weird place of too full and hungry right now but gonna hold it in anyway.The bleacher seats in the theater are too close together, sigh.This is the kind of place I'd want to visit once and then anyone I had over as guests, I'd tell them to go themselves or drop them off here, lol. Or I would consider a special event if I were a local.
-
August 2023 by Dara M.
Very popular place in the summer for hundreds of people. Situated in the seaside town of Mystic, the aquarium has plenty of free parking available. Tickets can be purchased online, which I recommend to save on lengthy lines. For an additional $15 nonmember fee, you can see the dinosaur exhibit. There are a couple 4D movies appropriate for children and hands on games in the exhibit. My favorite part of the aquarium is the Sea Lion show- they are so clever! The beluga whales are also beautiful. This place is primarily geared towards children with various activities. It is a small aquarium with a few exhibits and a main gallery. All staff presenting animals are very knowledgeable. I found the crowds to be quite overwhelming. As an aside, a message imparted during the sea lion show was the importance of re-usable items like water bottles. In line with this, I believe Mystic Aquarium has an opportunity to make the statement through action instead of words- by having more accessible water refill stations for patrons, such as myself, that bring bottles. As it was, there were only two I found- one of which was broken and the other took twenty minutes to find. Instead, they sell disposable water bottles. Overall, I'm sure this is a lovely place during the off season. I do appreciate that they have sensory bags available with headphones for those that need them, particularly as the docents provided instructions at viewing area (like sting rays) using loud microphones.
-
August 2023 by Scott C.
Another great visit to the Mystic Aquarium. We usually try and get there at least 2x a year. My daughter's birthday is always 1 of those visits as it falls right on Juno's birthday. Best is to walk around and take in every single exhibit. Only snag is parking but early is always better. Also definitely ear before you enter the prices are a bit outrageous. Nothing makes a day at mystic better than stopping at sift and drinking some lavender lemonade.
-
August 2023 by Carla L.
This is a nice aquarium and first time we've seen beluga whales. The staff is very nice and knowledgeable. They are excited to tell you a bunch of fun facts about the animals . The aquarium is clean and well-maintained. You can tell the animals are well cared for. It's worth stopping in if you're in the Mystic.
-
July 2023 by Marvin M.
I came here with my son and his mom and we absolutely enjoyed our experience. To start, be sure to arrive early as the parking lot (as vast as it is) fills quickly and you may have to park farther from the entrance than anticipated. Entry is quick and easy if you buy your tickets in advance. We walked around and got to see the entirety of the aquarium. There's a lot to explore, so showing up early allows your to fully enjoy the animals without rushing. They have a section where you're allowed to touch the animals, and my son loved interacting with the sting ray. They have almost everything you can imagine an aquarium should have: sharks, jellyfish, penguins, exotic species of fish, and even beluga whales. They even have a sea lion show which was very entertaining. If you want to get close up photos of the sea lions, be sure to sit in the very front row as they allow them to come up to you for photos.Customer service was excellent, and the park was overall very clean and easy to navigate. We didn't really need the map to find our way around although it made it much easier. We had gotten pretzels from the snack bar near the marsh which was fine. A bit pricey but most places charge an arm and a leg for their in house food. Nonetheless we had no complaints the entire time and would consider coming back again. Definitely check this place out!
-
May 2023 by Justin L.
Mystic is pretty damned famous for its aquarium. If you lived in the Northeast as a kid, odds are you at least heard about the place. Wanted to take my kid here as he's a big aquarium fan, so off we went.Lots of construction going on in front. Main attraction--beluga whales--are front and center. They are pretty damned photogenic and cute. Around the bend from them are sea lions, seals and penguins. Of these the penguin exhibit is awesome, including both above and below water portions. Kids playground outside is nicely themed but otherwise a little limited; it's best for photos and otherwise just toddlers. The inner portion is smaller than some other aquariums (ie: Norwalk) but it is still impressive. Lots of themed fish tanks including the Amazon, Long Island sound, and the obligatory section of Jellyfish. There are a few touch tanks too including sharks and rays. Shark exhibit is pretty bare although there are plenty of nurse sharks in there to go with the sand Tiger sharks. There is a turtle but he was only out part of the time. Gift shop is pretty good but lame they make you go through when exiting. Price point of the tickets was high to me (more than $40 pp for adults).Would definitely come here again. Maybe not the best aquarium I've been to and hoping the construction leads to some improvements, but still pretty damned good.
-
March 2023 by Sheree Pearl
Pricey and messy
-
November 2022 by Siobhan Harvey
With the cost of admission and then the high prices in the gift store they had the nerve to ask me if I wanted to donate more money to the aquarium!!! Never will go back. Not worth the prices.
-
November 2022 by Sudie Faison
GREAT ! BEAUTIFUL EXCITING.
-
October 2022 by Robert S.
I love aquarium parks....I love seeing animals in a setting that is conducive to humans appreciating them without being hurt or mistreated. This aquarium is less than an hour's drive from Providence, so it's easy to get to when I am in Rhode Island.The Mystic Aquarium is one of only two U.S. facilities holding Steller sea lions, and it has the only beluga whales in New England. In more detail....Mystic Aquarium holds six beluga whales, four Steller sea lions, six northern fur seals (two adult and four pups), six California sea lions, one Pacific and seven Atlantic harbor seals, two Arctic spotted seals, a large colony of 31 African penguins, unicorn fish, blue tang, octopus, Japanese spider crabs, sand tiger sharks, bamboo sharks, sea turtle, clownfish, an extensive sea jelly exhibit, seasonal birds, and other oceanic creatures. It is among the first aquariums to attempt artificial insemination of a beluga whale as part of its conservation work, in order to increase breeding in human care.Within the aquarium, encounter programs are offered to visitors for an additional fee, who can get close to the African penguins, touch and stand in the water with beluga whales, touch bamboo sharks, and feed and touch sting rays in a special pool.Special exhibits include a ray and shark touch pool, an African penguin exhibit, a jelly gallery, and the "Jurassic Giants" dinosaur exhibit. It's such a nice outing! And...before or after the aquarium, strolling around Mystic is just another benefit from being in the area...
-
September 2022 by Josh B.
You'll find seals and sharks here, but for me the highlights are some of the obscure species including jellyfish, mudskippers and seahorses. You'll find super-colorful African fish and more sturdier-looking denizens like sturgeon and paddlefish.Is an aquarium entertainment or education? Mystic handles this better than most, explaining the basics without getting bogged down in text. As a critic of fake environmentalism, I'm impressed at Mystic's skill in conservation messaging, in the form of the exhibit that shows how an unsuspecting bird might mistake plastic bags for delicious jellyfish.Room for improvement: there's a small section referencing the Long Island Sound, but I don't think there's an actual collection of local fish, why not add in the Thames River for good measure? Overall, the exhibits are impressive and the friendly workers are clearly interested in both marine life and human visitors.
-
November 2021 by Heather Ingles
Fun and educational day trip
-
November 2021 by Cole Autumn
Not as good as it used to be.Not much of a selection and mostly youth sizes.
